


Wild Wild Silas

by Onthecyberseas



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Western, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, Investigations, Kidnapping, Minor Violence, Missing Persons
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2019-01-15 10:56:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12319626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onthecyberseas/pseuds/Onthecyberseas
Summary: Newly-minted sheriff Laura Hollis is partnered up with Sheriff Carmilla Karnstein to investigate the disappearances of several girls in the town of Silas. Though Laura and Carmilla butt heads initially, they grow closer as they work to solve the case.





	1. Chapter 1

Though the town of Silas appeared to be a typical town of the Old West to the average passerby making their way through, Silas was anything but an ordinary. It was a dangerous, lawless town where groups of outlaws were constantly at war with each other, each claiming that they were the sole owners of the town. However, there was a new, more pressing issue plaguing Silas over the past few months. A string of disappearances, mostly of young girls, had the entire town scared that they, their sisters, their daughters, or their friends would be the next victim. Nobody knew where the missing girls were or who was behind their disappearances. Even the massive Silas Sheriff Department didn’t seem to have any answers.

One evening after yet another disappearance, a group of townspeople gathered in the saloon like they typically did. However, the atmosphere of the group was far tenser than their usual evenings spent in the saloon. Nursing their whiskeys and beers, the town whispered about the latest victim, a girl named Betty Spielsdorf. She was the well-liked daughter of the town's innkeeper, and the town was stricken with panic of where she went and who among them would be the next to disappear. Beyond the question of who was behind these disappearances, people wondered why were they taking these girls without sending a single ransom note?

At the edge of the bar sat a short girl, wearing a cowboy hat and drinking a glass of warm milk. Looking around the bar at the other patrons, nobody seemed to notice her. Her Sheriff's badge gleamed brightly on her hip as she stood up. Clearing her throat, she tried to get the crowd's attention. "Excuse me!" She called out multiple times but nobody paid any attention to her. Frustrated, she pulled out the gun stuck in her holster. Pointing to the ceiling, she fired a shot that blew a hole in the ceiling.

"Goddamnit!" The bartender called out to her. “I just had that fixed!” The crowd jumped at the gunshot noise and turned to face the shorter girl.

Taking a couple of deep breaths, the girl straightened up her posture feeling slightly nervous with everyone’s eyes on her. "Dear people of Silas," the girl addressed the room. "I know that this string of disappearances is alarming to all of us, but there is no need to fear. The Sheriff's department will find the girls and bring whoever is responsible to justice."

The majority of the townspeople just gaped at her, and she could tell that they were struggling to take her seriously." Holstering her gun, she pointed down at her Sheriff's badge. "I promise that I will not rest until I find your daughters, your sisters, your friends, and your lovers."

"And who the hell are you?" One of the men asked, looking at her curiously. 

The girl felt uncomfortable at his gaze, but did her best not to wither under it. "My name is Sheriff Laura Hollis," Laura said with great pride, "And I vow to find those girls and make Silas safe for everyone who lives in it."

Most of the townspeople didn't seem convinced. A woman tentatively approached Laura and asked, "You'll find my daughter, Sheriff?"

Laura nodded, glad that at least one person seemed to be willing to give her a chance. "I promise, Ma’am."

The woman smiled at her. "I have faith in you, Sheriff." Laura smiled at her and she was glad to see that the rest of the townspeople finally seemed to come around to her. 

"I won't let you down," she promised everyone. Slamming a couple of bills on the bar next to her glass, she turned to the bartender who was still glaring at the freshly made hole in the ceiling. "Sorry about the ceiling," she said apologetically. She tipped her hat towards the bartender. "I'll pay for the damage." She stepped out and tipped her hat to the crowd on her way out.

Stepping out into the evening, Laura took in the main street of Silas. Though she had grown up with her father in a small town several towns over, Laura felt at home in Silas. She had moved into town only a couple of months ago and had managed to settle in rather nicely. She had taken to observing the people as they went about their daily lives and Laura knew all of them even though not many of them seemed to know or care who she was.

About a month ago, Laura had been promoted from being the deputy of Sheriff Lawrence to becoming a Sheriff herself. Her father had been furious when he found out that Laura would be risking her life as Sheriff, but Laura had insisted to him that she needed to make her own decisions. Her father had a tendency to be protective of her, his only daughter, but Laura was capable of protecting herself in the threat of danger. It had taken a lot of convincing, but her father had managed to eventually came around to the idea.

She straightened her hat on her head and made her way to the small apartment she called home. If she was going to keep her promise and save Silas, it would be better for her to do it on a full night's sleep. As she got ready for bed, she declared to what appeared to be an invisible audience. "I'll make them all proud."

Morning arrived and Laura had a quick breakfast before running towards the station. Soon the building, clearly marked with the words "Sheriff's Station,” came into view. Laura straightened her hat and entered the Sheriff’s station. Though Silas was a small town, it had the largest Sheriff's department in the West. Somebody had to deal with the outlaws who caused continuous trouble. She waved at Sheriff Danny Lawrence as she went to her desk, and she tipped her hat back at her as she smiled. 

Laura tried not to blush as she settled into her desk, having developed a slight crush on the older sheriff during her time as her deputy. Glancing down at her desk, she frowned as she saw that it was out of order from the way she had organized it the previous day. Somebody had gone through her desk and the bag of cookies she kept in her top drawer was gone. The culprit was not hard to find as Laura saw a girl she had never seen before sitting at the previously unoccupied desk across from her eating her cookies. She was beautiful, but Laura was too angry at her to acknowledge it further.

“Hello, Creampuff” the girl said, looking up at Laura’s glare and smirking as she popped one of Laura’s cookies in her mouth.

Though her father had always taught her to be polite, Laura felt that the situation was far past the point of pleasantries. Ignoring the nickname, she demanded to know, “Who the hell are you?” 

The girl smiled at her in a way that was almost cat-like, “I’m your new partner, Sheriff.” She held out her hand to Laura. “Name’s Carmilla, cutie.”

Laura sputtered at the girl's introduction. She hadn't asked for a partner and she had never seen this girl before in her life. If she was to be partnered with anybody, she assumed that it would be Sheriff Lawrence. There was something about this Carmilla that made her nervous, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was.

Shooting a glare at Carmilla, she stood up and said, "Excuse me."

She felt Carmilla’s eyes on her, but she ignored her as walked through the station until she reached the head Sheriff's office. Sheriff Lola Perry was in deep conversation with the medical examiner, LaFontaine. Both of them turned around at her sudden entrance. "What have I told you about knocking?" Perry asked indignantly.

Undeterred, Laura gestured to her desk where Carmilla was rifling through her desk. "Who the hell is that and why wasn't I informed that I was getting a partner?"

"Sheriff Karnstein is from Styria," Perry explained, "She's highly regarded over there and has over fifty arrests to her name." Laura had heard of the neighboring town, but she didn't know much about it. "She is experienced and you haven't worked a case as a Sheriff yet, therefore I decided to partner to two of you up." Laura opened her mouth to argue with Perry, but closed it quickly realizing that it was no use. "I'm putting you both on the case of the missing girls, as the issue seemed to happen in Styria before it hit Silas."

Laura hesitantly nodded. It wasn't ideal, but Perry was right about her lack of experience. She wanted to find the missing girls more than anything, and surely she could find a way to work with Carmilla. Even if she couldn't, Carmilla would most likely go back to her own town as soon as the case was solved. "I'll work with her," Laura said as she walked to the door, forcing a smile on her face. "Thank you for the opportunity."

She walked back over to Carmilla, who looked up at her expectantly. Sitting down at her desk, she pulled out some parchment paper and her favorite pen. "Alright," she said as she looked at Carmilla. "Let's find those girls."


	2. Chapter 2

Laura lasted about an hour before she had decided that she had enough of Carmilla and her investigative methods. When they sat down, Carmilla put her feet on her desk, continued to eat her cookies, and showed that she had no respect for Laura’s property or methods. She played absentmindedly with her gun, looking ready to pull it out and shoot at any moment. Though Laura kept her gun holstered, she never wanted to use it unless it was absolutely necessary.

Putting her best effort in, Laura remained calm as she and Carmilla went over the details of the case. The latest missing girl, Betty Spielsdorf, was last seen hanging around at the saloon around eight in the evening two nights ago. The saloon was taken over by a group of notorious outlaws, the Zetas, who had burst in with their guns high in the air and held the saloon owner hostage. The leader of the gang, Will, had poured out some whiskey for all of the other Zetas under his command and a couple of interested townspeople with no fear of the outlaws made their way to the bar for what had turned into a large party that had lasted late into the night. It wasn’t until Sheriff Lawrence had arrived that the party had ended as everyone scattered as soon as she burst into the saloon.

While the details were straightforward, Laura was annoyed at Carmilla’s attitude towards her. “Why would anyone want to hang out with the Zetas?” She asked, annoyed at how outlaws seemed to be revered in the town of Silas.

Carmilla just rolled her eyes at her. “That’s just the way the world works, cutie.” Laura would be flattered at the nickname if it wasn’t for Carmilla’s condescending tone. It seemed that Carmilla didn’t think much of her, despite the fact that they were on equal rank. Just because she didn’t have the same amount of experience as her didn’t mean that she wasn’t capable of finding the missing girls by herself. Unfortunately, Perry didn’t seem to agree and now she was stuck with the partner from hell.

Once the basic details had been established, Carmilla reported that one of the Zetas had been spotted going into the local blacksmith shop early that morning. Since they had no other leads at the moment, they had no choice but to check out the blacksmith’s shop to figure out where to find the last Zeta currently in town.

Holstering her gun, Laura was both excited and nervous for the first case of her career. She and Carmilla left the station together and arrived at the blacksmith’s shop. Surprisingly, the blacksmith was able to give them a location of where the Zeta was staying while in town.

However, whent hey walked into the inn, they found that the innkeeper was not as helpful. Laura attempted to remain calm and said, “Sir, we’re trying to find your daughter. Please let us talk to him.”

The innkeeper shook his head. “I’m sorry, I know you’re trying to help. But I can’t have people just waltz in and harass my customers.” 

Carmilla got frustrated quickly, and pulled out her gun before Laura could respond. She cocked it as she pointed it at the innkeeper. “Where is he?” She asked, her eyes flashing with malice.

Laura looked at Carmilla in bewilderment. “Don’t threaten the townspeople, Sheriff.” she snapped at her, “He didn’t do anything wrong.”

To her surprise, the innkeeper immediately gave up the room number that the Zeta was staying in. “Thank you,” Laura said with a smile. “I’m so sorry about my partner’s barbaric nature.” Carmilla glared at her and she glared right back.

The two of them made their way up to the room, and knocked on the door. “Open up,” Carmilla threatened, “I will not hesitate to kick this door down.”

Laura turned to Carmilla in anger, tired of her acting like the rules didn’t apply to her. “I don’t know how you do things over in Styria, but there’s a code we follow here in Silas.”

Carmilla rolled her eyes at her, and Laura found herself getting angrier. “Speaking from experience, Sheriff,” Carmilla said, “Playing by the rules is not going to get us anywhere.” She paused for a moment, and her lips curled into a smile. “However, I suppose we can use this good sheriff, bad sheriff routine to our advantage.”

“There’s no routine,” Laura countered, “This is my town, so we follow my rules.”

Carmilla opened her mouth to counter, but the door swung open to reveal the Zeta on the other side. Before Laura could stop her, Carmilla tackled the Zeta to the ground, pointed her gun at him and forced him to the couch in the center of the room. “Where is she?” Carmilla shouted, fire in her eyes and venom in her words.

Laura gently approached the Zeta, seeing how terrified he looked at Carmilla. “What is your name?” She asked sweetly. Though she hated the Zetas and their desire to disrupt Silas with their chaos, she wasn’t about to threaten the guy until she knew he was guilty of the crime he was being accused of.

The Zeta looked at her and his fearful expression softened somewhat. “Kirsch,” he said timidly. “My name is Kirsch.”

She could feel Carmilla glaring at her, but she smiled at Kirsch. “We’re trying to find a missing girl, Kirsch.” She said gently, “She was last seen partying with the Zetas a couple of days ago.” 

She gave him Betty’s description, and his face scrunched up as he concentrated on his memories of the party. Laura saw Carmilla put her hand on her gun and she quickly shook her head at her in disapproval. Kirsch cleared his throat and both sheriffs turned back to him. “I remember that girl,” he said.

Laura smiled in relief. “Great,” she said, “Do you remember when she left the party and if she left with anyone.”

Kirsch shook his head. “I don’t,” he said. He looked fearfully at Carmilla and added, “I’m sorry.”

Though she accepted that he was telling the truth, Carmilla did not seem to be convinced. She approached him and punched him in the face. “Don’t lie to us!”

He put his hands in front of his face as he rubbed the place where her fist connected. “I swear, I don’t know.” Carmilla raised her first to strike again, but Laura used her strength to hold her back. Kirsch looked between them, his eyes filled with fear. “I didn’t kill her or kidnap her or whatever you’re accusing me of.”

“Why did you join the Zetas?” Laura asked, still trying to restrain Carmilla. “You seem far too good for them.”

Kirsch looked at her, appearing to be grateful for her kind approach. “Money and girls,” he said, “Girls love outlaws.” A smile crossed his face, but turned serious at the look on Carmilla’s face. He quickly added, “I’ve never killed anyone though. I swear.”

Carmilla finally seemed to relax and Laura let her go. Laura approached Kirsch and said, “I believe you, but when you rejoin the Zetas, I want you to keep an out eye out for anyone who could possibly be involved. Can you please do that for me?”

He nodded, relieved that he wasn’t in trouble. “Yes, ma’am.” He smiled at her and said, “Can I take you out for dinner?”

Laura shook her head and said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.” She had never been interested in men that way, and she wasn’t about to go into public in the company of an outlaw, no matter how kind he seemed to be.

Kirsch shrugged, seeming to be okay with the rejection. “Am I free to go, Sheriffs?”

She nodded, ignoring Carmilla’s scowl. “Yes, thank you for your help, Kirsch.”

They left the room and out of the inn. Once outside, Carmilla turned to Laura. “You’re just going to let him go?”

Laura nodded. “I don’t think he’s guilty, but if we let him rejoin the Zetas, maybe he can help us find who, if anyone in the group is responsible for the missing girls.”

Carmilla scowled but couldn’t argue with the plan. Laura quickly assured her, “If he is lying, we’ll catch him and all of his accomplices and punish them as they justly deserve.”

They made their way back to the station and Laura was thrilled that her first official interrogation seemed to go well. Hopefully, Kirsch would be able to help them and they would be able to capture the perpetrators sooner rather than later. She hoped that she could prove that her methods were far better than Carmilla’s shoot first and ask questions later method. Most of all, she hoped to solve the case quickly so that Carmilla could leave Silas quicker and she wouldn’t have to deal with her and her annoying habits ever again.


	3. Chapter 3

The end of the day couldn’t come fast enough for Laura. She and Carmilla had spent the afternoon bickering over the mandatory daily report that Perry requested from each of her Sheriffs after every day. As soon as they finished with that, they argued over where to focus the next part of their investigation. In the end they came to an agreement to allow Sheriff Lawrence to tail Kirsch in the hopes that he would help lead them to either some concrete answers or the missing girls themselves.

Carmilla tipped her hat at her and said, “See you tomorrow, creampuff.” She left the station for the day, not bothering to tidy up her already messy desk. Laura glared at her as she left, wondering how long she could put up with her before she exploded.

Sheriff Lawrence approached her desk, and cleared her throat. Laura turned to her, glad to see a friendly face after the rough day that she had been through. “Good evening, Danny,” Laura said with a smile.

“Would you accompany me to the saloon?” Danny asked. “You look like you could use a drink.”

Laura eagerly nodded in agreement. Danny always seemed to be able to read her emotions. “A drink sounds great.”

They closed up the station for the evening and made their way to the saloon. Laura was relieved that neither Carmilla nor any of the outlaws from the Zetas or Summers were there that night. She got a table near the back and Danny ordered both of them drinks. She came back with two beers, and Laura thanked her as she eagerly took the mug. Though Laura didn’t drink a lot of alcohol normally, she needed something much stronger than her typical milk and cookies tonight.

“How are things with our esteemed Sheriff from Styria?” Danny asked the question in a way that indicated that she didn’t like Carmilla any more than she did.

Laura scowled and shrugged as she drank her beer. “It’s going,” she said bitterly. Putting down her mug, she then admitted, “I wish you were my partner instead.”

Danny nodded in agreement. “We made a good team.” She drank from her own mug and smiled over at her. Laura blushed at the way that she was looking at her. “If there’s anything you want me to do to help with the case, let me know.” She winked mischievously and said, “Carmilla doesn’t need to know everything.”

“She doesn’t,” Laura agreed with a smile. She paused, remembering what her and Carmilla had talked about. “There is one thing you can do for us.” She told her about Kirsch and requested that she watch him closely in hopes that he would lead them to some answers in the case.

She nodded in agreement with the plan. “I’d be happy to do that. It’d be a nice change from handling the town drunks.”

The door to the saloon opened and Carmilla strutted inside with a girl on her arm. The girl seemed to be laughing at whatever Carmilla was saying to her and they kissed as they reached the bar. Laura felt a feeling of inexplicable rage at the sight.

Danny looked at her with concern, as she glanced between her and Carmilla. “Are you okay?”

Laura forced herself to focus solely on Danny. “Fine,” she gritted out. She didn’t understand why she cared so much about Carmilla’s outside of work activities and why she was bothered by Carmilla flirting with some other girl.

“Are you jealous?” Danny asked incredulously as Laura seethed with rage upon seeing Carmilla kiss the girl again.

She tensed and resisted the urge to laugh at the accusation. “Why would I be jealous of Carmilla?” She contorted her face and tried to imitate Carmilla’s condescending voice, “That’s just the way the world works, cutie.”

Carmilla seemed to have noticed them and walked over. She smiled upon seeing Laura, but Laura could only glare at her. “Hello, Carmilla.”

“Hello, Hollis,” Carmilla replied, “Enjoying your evening?”

Laura straightened up and grabbed Danny’s hand. Danny looked curiously at her, but didn’t move away as she threaded her fingers in hers. “Absolutely,” Laura said, trying her hardest to sound convincing.

Carmilla looked at her and Danny’s interlocked hands, and raised a curious eyebrow. Before Carmilla could comment, Laura stood up and said, “We were just about to leave.”

Danny looked confused but played along. “We were.” They stood up and Danny said, “Have a good evening, Karnstein.”

They left Carmilla standing at the table as they left the saloon. Laura reached into her pocket and pulled out money to pay Danny back for her drink. Danny saw what she was doing and quickly said, “The drink’s on me, Laura.”

Laura considered protesting but she knew that Danny was too stubborn to let her argue about it. “Thank you.”

Danny walked her back to her apartment building and they stopped outside the door to say goodbye. “Thanks for walking me home,” Laura said, smiling up at Danny.

“No problem,” Danny said as she smiled back at her. She tipped her hat to her and said, “See you tomorrow.”

Laura nodded and replied, “See you tomorrow.” Danny walked away and Laura walked up to her apartment. 

As she entered, she found a mysterious card that had obviously been slipped under her door. Laura picked up the card, grimacing as she noted that it was covered in some weird sticky, gooey substance. She saw that the card seemed to be a multiple choice question and read the card.

_Dear Sheriff Hollis,_

_Please stop your investigation into the missing girls immediately. If you refuse to comply, the following will happen:_

_A. We’ll target your friends, LaFontaine and Perry, at the Sheriff's Department first._  
_B. Then we’ll go after Sheriff Lawrence._  
_C. We know where your father lives._  
_D. You’ll leave us no choice but to kill you and Sheriff Karnstein._

_The choice is yours. Make the right one or else._

Laura dropped the card in shock. She was terrified for the safety of everyone listed on the card, even Carmilla. For a second, she considered listening to the warning and stopping her investigation altogether. However, she couldn’t stop investigating now. She thought back to all of the people in the saloon the previous night when she had declared to them that she would solve the case. She couldn’t let the people of Silas down, and she especially couldn’t let the missing girls down.

Instead, she was more determined than ever to solve their case. She just knew now that she would have to be careful about how she went about it. With everyone’s lives at risk, she had to watch over them to make sure nothing happened to them. Though she had no way of knowing who was responsible for the card or how they knew so much about her, she had to find a way to be more subtle about their investigation. One thing was for sure, she wasn’t going to let threats and intimidation stop her from doing the right thing.


	4. Chapter 4

The days passed since Laura had gotten that threatening note and thankfully nothing had come of it yet. All of her friends were alive and well, and she received a letter from her father informing her that he was doing well back home. However, it probably had more to do with the fact that she and Carmilla had found no new leads on the case, rather than the writer of the card backing down from their threats. Despite that, Laura was still nervous about the threats.

She was even more cautious about her surroundings as she walked around Silas, looking around for anything suspicious. She had trouble sleeping at night, as she tossed and turned over the possibility that somebody was watching her and waiting to make their move. Everyone from Perry to LaFontaine to Danny to even Carmilla asked her what was wrong, but Laura refused to answer. Though it was their lives also threatened, Laura didn’t want them to worry about it like her. A part of her considered lifting some of the weight off of her shoulders, but she couldn’t bring herself to burden the people she cared about and Carmilla.

The days passed with no new leads in the case, though Laura and Carmilla had questioned most of the town who could possibly know anything about the girls’ disappearances. Danny’s tailing of Kirsch lead to no new answers either. Laura was starting to get frustrated with the lack of progress, but even more so with Carmilla.

Since their meeting in the saloon, Carmilla seemed to be even more irritating. Her smirking and quips seemed to increase, particularly when Laura seemed more flustered around her. Carmilla seemed even more hostile towards Danny, and Laura had to keep breaking up their arguments as she stood between the two sheriffs. If she didn’t know any better, she would say that Carmilla was jealous of Danny. She had no idea why though, since Carmilla had no reason to be. Laura was unable to understand why Carmilla could get under her skin so easily or why her face flushed whenever Carmilla smiled at her. Years of experience would tell her that she had the symptoms of a crush on Carmilla, but that couldn’t be possibly. She hated Carmilla and Carmilla probably hated her as well.

Laura didn’t have much time to dwell on it, as Sheriff Perry approached their desks. “Sheriff Hollis and Sheriff Karnstein, you’re needed down at the Silas Saloon.”

She sat up eagerly, hoping that whatever was going on at the tavern would finally give them the lead that Laura desperately wished for. A new lead would help them solve the case more quickly, and solving the case more quickly would mean that the threats on the card wouldn’t be carried out. Another bonus would be that Carmilla could go back to Styria sooner rather than later. 

To her disappointment, Perry clarified, “It’s a bar fight. Everyone else is too busy to break it up.” Laura sighed but stood up along with Carmilla. 

They walked towards the bar, neither of them speaking to the other. Reaching the saloon, Carmilla pulled out her pistol, but Laura kept hers in her holster. “It’s just a bar fight,” she hissed to Carmilla. “Not everything has to turn into a shootout.”

“Better safe than sorry,” Carmilla hissed back. They burst into the saloon to find two of the town drunks wrestling on the ground. Thankfully, Carmilla holstered her weapon after assessing that neither man was armed.

Laura ran to the two and yelled, “Enough. Stop this instant or you’ll be under arrest!”

The men ignored her and continued their brawl. Sighing, Laura bent down and attempted to pull the smaller man off the larger one. She fought to hold on as the man struggled in her grasp. The larger man stood up and attempted to punch the other man in the face. Unfortunately, his punch missed the man’s face and hit Laura straight in the nose.

She yelped in pain as blood started pouring down her face. Dropping the man she was restraining, she put her hands to her face. She was convinced that her nose was broken and she made her way over to the bar for some towels to suppress the bleeding.

As she covered her nose with the towel that the bartender handed her. Laura watched as Carmilla slammed the larger man into the wall. “Don’t ever hurt my partner ever again,” she hissed, her voice tinged with anger.

The larger man seemed terrified of Carmilla and put his hands up. The smaller one put his hands up too. Carmilla smiled at their obedience and Laura helped her lead the two men back to the Sheriff’s station to be put into lockdown.

Sheriff Perry forced them into two separate jail cells at the edge of the station, and thanked them for their efforts. Laura sat down at her desk, still holding the towel to her nose. The pain was difficult and tears fell from her eyes. Carmilla approached her and tried to remove the towel from her face. Laura resisted and Carmilla said, “Relax cutie. I’m going to try and fix your nose.”

Laura was in too much pain to put up a fight and put the towel on the desk. Carmilla took her face into her hands and said, “This is going to hurt.” Her tone and the look in her eyes indicated a gentleness that Laura had never seen of her before. She felt her face flush at the look in her eyes.

Before Laura could contemplate anything further, Carmilla used her fingers to snap Laura’s nose back in place. She yelped as the pain came as advertised. However, she was surprised that she felt much better not long after. Her excruciating pain turned into a dull ache.

“Better?” Carmilla asked with a small smile.

She nodded, as she reapplied the towel to her face to catch the remaining blood. “Much better.” She took a deep breath and said, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, cutie,” Carmilla smiled as she returned to her desk and pulled something from one of her drawers. She slid it over to her and Laura was surprised, yet pleased that it was a bar of chocolate. “That should help you feel better,” Carmilla said.

Laura gaped at Carmilla, wondering why she was being so nice to her all of a sudden. She took the chocolate and said again, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” replied Carmilla. She began work on the report about the saloon fight. Laura ate her chocolate, feeling better about her predicament as she enjoyed the sweetness on her tongue.

The day came to an end soon after and Laura was more than ready to go home. Carmilla turned in the report to Perry and then stopped at Laura’s desk. “Want to go to dinner?” She asked.

Before Laura could stop herself, she asked, “Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?”

Carmilla shrugged. “You’ve had a rough day,” she explained, “Also, I know you’re still worried about the threatening card as well.”

Laura tensed at the mention of the card, and an uneasiness settled in the pit of her stomach. “You go ahead,” she said timidly, “I’ve got some things to do at home.”

Carmilla simply smiled back at her and said, “See you tomorrow, Laura. Take care.”

She said goodbye to Carmilla and left the station, fingering the gun in her holster. Looking around, she searched every part of her surroundings for anyone following her. Her breathing quickened with nerves as she made her way back to her apartment.

Once she reached the safety of her home, she deadbolted the door and began to hyperventilate. She thought back to all of the time she had spent working with Carmilla, trying to find evidence that she was involved with the missing girls. Carmilla had to be involved. How did she know about the card when Laura hadn’t told anybody about it? Carmilla had to have been spying on her apartment, probably for whoever had written the note. 

Laura picked up the note and read it several times over before placing it on her nightstand. Though the card also threatened Carmilla’s life, Carmilla had probably included her name as well in order to prevent Laura from getting suspicious of her. It had worked for a while, but not any longer. She couldn’t hide the note from her friends any more. They were in grave danger and she had to warn them before Carmilla or whoever she was working for hurt any of them.


	5. Chapter 5

Laura hadn’t been able to get much sleep that night. When she woke up, she got dressed and made her way to the station. Clutching the card in her hand, she made her way into the station. As she walked through the doors, she refused to acknowledge Carmilla as she walked right past their desks and straight to Sheriff Perry’s office. Thankfully, Perry was alone when she knocked on the door. Perry gestured for her to come in and she took a deep breath before she shut the door behind her. Facing her boss, she got straight to the point. “We need to talk, Sheriff. There’s something you should know about Sheriff Karnstein.”

Perry looked confused but allowed her to sit in the seat across from her desk. Once prompted, she told Perry about her suspicions of Carmilla. She showed her the card and recommended that Carmilla be sent back to Styria and thrown off the investigation. Perry listened to her rant with a frown on her face.

Once she was finished speaking, Perry stood up. “Do you have any other evidence, Sheriff Hollis, of any wrongdoing on Sheriff Karnstein’s part other than a mere coincidence?” Laura looked confused, and Perry explained. “Anyone with eyes can see that you’ve been struggling the past couple of days. Sheriff Karnstein probably put two and two together, and your personal dislike of her doesn’t mean that she’s worthy of an accusation that awful.”

“But Sheriff,” Laura responded quickly, frustrated that her superior didn’t believe her. “How did she know about the card, when I didn’t tell her or anybody else about it?”

Perry quickly replied, “She was brought to Silas due to her knowledge of the cases involving the missing girls in Styria. My guess is that she probably received a card similar to that one.” Laura opened her mouth to protest, but couldn’t find a compelling argument. Perry turned and glared at Laura. “Speaking of that card, why the hell would you not tell anybody about it?”

Laura withered under Perry’s glare. “I thought…I didn’t want to worry anyone about it.”

Sighing, Perry said, “Laura Elise Hollis.” Laura shifted uncomfortably at the use of her full name. “Everyone here is more than capable of defending themselves. If you had told us about it, we would be more cautious of whoever it is wants to harm us.” 

Laura felt incredibly stupid at the fact that none of that had occurred to her. “I’m sorry, Sheriff,” she said, “I didn’t think about that.”

Perry looked sympathetically at her. “This case has been rough on all of us, Hollis. But you need to understand that you are not alone. Not only can you count on us, but that also means that you can’t make decisions on your own or withhold things that impact the rest of us.” Laura nodded to indicate that she understood. “We’re a team, Sheriff, don’t ever forget that.”

Forcing a smile on her face, Laura stood up. “You’re right, Sheriff, I apologize for my recklessness and bad decisions. I promise I won’t let you down again.”

Perry nodded and said, “You’re a good Sheriff, Hollis. I have faith in you and Karnstein to solve this case once and for all.” Laura turned to walk out the door, and Perry called out, “Be careful.”

Walking back to her desk, she tried to keep her face neutral as she faced Carmilla. “Good morning, Carmilla.”

“Good morning,” Carmilla replied, her face full of concern for Laura. “Did you find any new leads.”

Laura shook her head. “No, but I’ll see if Danny found anything.” She walked over to Sheriff Lawrence’s desk and asked to talk to her in private. 

They took a walk outside of the station, and Laura said, “I need your help.”

Danny looked at her curiously and asked, “With what.”

She looked around the road, hoping that nobody was eavesdropping on them. “It’s about Carmilla. I think she’s hiding something.” Despite her talk with Perry, her suspicions about the other Sheriff had not been eased in the slightest. There was something off about her, and Laura was determined to figure out what it was. If Sheriff Perry wasn’t going to help her, then she would have to find another way and take matters into her own hands.

“What do you need?” Danny asked, her eyes lighting up in excitement.

Laura smiled, thrilled that her friend was willing to help her. She explained the plan and Danny agreed to it immediately. Once they worked out the details, Laura went back to the station while Danny went into town to get what they needed for the plan.

As she walked back into the station, Laura locked eyes with Carmilla and walked over to her. She cleared her throat and said, “Sheriff Lawrence might have found a lead in the case.”

Carmilla grinned in triumph. “That’s great to hear,” she said, “What is it?”

Laura gestured to the door, and explained, “It’s better if we show you.”

Though Carmilla looked at her suspiciously, she didn’t argue as she followed Laura out of the station. Laura dodged her questions as she lead her through the town of Silas to her apartment building.

“It’s in here,” Laura said, gesturing up to her apartment.

Carmilla quirked an eyebrow at her. “The lead to our case is in your apartment?”  
Struggling to remain calm, Laura nodded. “Follow me.” Carmilla looked hesitant, but followed her up to her apartment anyway.

Laura unlocked the door to her apartment and Carmilla followed her inside. “Sit anywhere you like,” she said making a gesture in front of her. She looked back at Carmilla and saw that she looked at her in a way that could only be described as seductive. She licked her lips, and Laura gulped at the way she looked at her. Carmilla chose an armchair by the window and looked expectantly at her.

After a few moments of staring at each other, Carmilla finally spoke. “Is there a reason you brought me here, or are you just going to stand there looking like a virgin sacrifice.”

“Danny has the evidence,” Laura said quickly as she blushed, determined to stick to her cover story. “She’ll be here soon.”

Carmilla looked back at her with her seduction eyes. “We could have a little fun until your lover gets back.”

Laura sputtered and turned bright red at the implication. “Danny and I aren’t…You’re not…I’m not…” She internally cursed herself for being unable to form a complete sentence. Stick to the plan, Hollis.

Thankfully, she didn’t need to do anything, as Danny burst into the room moments later. She charged at Carmilla and grabbed her. Carmilla was taken by surprise, but fought back, landing a punch at Danny’s left eye. Spurred into action, Laura helped pin Carmilla to the chair as Danny tied her up with the rope she acquired. Once the Sheriff was securely tied, Laura stepped back to admire their work.

Carmilla scowled at them and spat out, “What’s the meaning of this?”

Laura grabbed the card out of her pocket and held it in front of Carmilla. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“You think I’m responsible for this?” Carmilla asked, scowling. “I’ve done nothing but help you.”

Though she didn’t detect any signs of lying, Laura was still suspicious. “How do you know about the card when I didn’t tell you about it?”

Carmilla laughed. “That’s your evidence, Sheriff? No wonder Sheriff Perry called me over to Silas.” Laura clenched her fists at the insult. “I know about the card because I received a similar one during my investigation in Styria. Believe me, Hollis, nobody wants to find those girls as much as I do.”

Laura opened her mouth to argue, but couldn’t find any way to counter that. “Well, I still believe you’re hiding something.”

She and Danny stood over Carmilla as she struggled against the ropes. Looking between them, she sighed. “If I tell you the truth, will you untie me?”

Danny looked over to her with a concerned expression, and Laura looked back at Carmilla. After weighing the pros and cons, Laura said, “Yes.”

Carmilla sighed. “Okay, I believe I know who is behind the disappearances. I’ve known for quite some time, but I need evidence in order to prove it.”

“Who is it, then?” Laura asked. “Why didn’t you tell me you had a lead?”

“If it’s who I think it is,” Carmilla explained, “Then I couldn’t put anyone else in danger until I was sure. Not again.”

Laura noticed how tears had formed in Carmilla’s eyes, and a part of her actually felt sympathy for her. “What happened?”

Carmilla hesitated before launching into the story. “When I became Sheriff in Styria, I started training this girl, Ell, to be my deputy. We fell in love and then several girls started disappearing in town. I got a card just like yours, but I ignored it. When I discovered who was behind it, it was too late.” She choked back tears. “Ell was killed and the perpetrator escaped before I could bring her to justice.”

Laura was surprised that she felt an incredible amount of sympathy for Carmilla. “I’m sorry that you had to go through that,” she said softly. Forcing herself to refocus on the case, she asked, “Who do you think is responsible?”

Avoiding her eyes, Carmilla simply said, “My mother.”

Both Laura and Danny gaped at her. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Laura asked.

Carmilla made a show of struggling against her bindings. “Because of this. You’re suspicious of me because of a note. How do you think you would you have reacted if I told you that my adoptive mother was behind it and my siblings are her accomplices.”

“Siblings?” Laura asked, her head spinning with all of the revelations. “You have siblings?” 

Carmilla nodded. “Adopted siblings. My mother loves adopting orphans and raising them up to be her little minions.”

“Why aren’t we bringing them in, then?” Laura asked.

Carmilla said, “I’ve been trying to find them, and you know that we can’t arrest anyone without a warrant. I will tell you that one of them is the leader of the Zetas.”

“Will?” Danny asked. Carmilla nodded, and Danny said, “Leave it to me, and I’ll find a way to bring him in for questioning.”

Laura put her hand on Carmilla’s shoulder. “We’ll find them and stop your mother,” she assured her, “I promise.”

Carmilla smiled back at her. “Thank you.” She frowned and then added, ”Can you two untie me now?”

Laura complied and the three of them worked together on a plan to solve the case once and for all.


	6. Chapter 6

Since the day Carmilla had told her the truth about her past, Laura had begun to see Carmilla in an entirely new light. Seeing her so vulnerable like that showed her that Carmilla wasn’t as heartless as she had originally thought. Carmilla still showed up the next day to the station with her trademark sarcasm, but Laura was surprised to find that she didn’t dislike it anymore. In fact she kind of found it oddly endearing and even attractive.

Laura apologized over and over to Carmilla for tying her up. Carmilla seemed furious about it at first, but eventually told her that it was in the past and that they needed to refocus on the case. The two of them worked more cohesively as partners, and both of them started to act much more friendly towards each other. While the two of them had different styles of investigation, they found it easier to compromise as they ramped up their investigation of the Zetas.

Thankfully, Laura’s faith in Kirsch had ended up being beneficial as he gave them valuable intel that Will would be traveling by himself into Silas for unknown business. Upon reporting the news to Carmilla, they decided that they would tail Will and catch him red-handed if he tried to kidnap another girl from Silas. They stationed Danny and LaFontaine at the edges of town and waited for word of his arrival.

Two days later, Will arrived on horseback as promised. Danny reported that she followed him to the saloon and ran back to the station as soon as possible. Laura and Carmilla left the station and ran to the saloon. They took seats in the saloon and tried to look as inconspicuous as possible as they watched Will chug his beer at the bar.

A beautiful girl walked into the saloon and Will’s attention focused on her. Walking over to her, he flirted with her. Though Laura and Carmilla couldn’t hear the conversation, it was clear that Will wanted to get the girl alone based on how he kept glancing at the door. He finally seemed to convince her and led the girl out the door. Carmilla and Laura stood up quickly and followed them out the door.

They didn’t have to go far, as Will had taken the girl into the alley between the bar and the town’s general store. Carmilla and Laura watched as he put his hand over her mouth. Laura darted forward, pulling her gun out of her holster and aimed it at the outlaw. “Stop right there Will!”

He removed his hand from the girl’s mouth and she went running out of the alleyway to safety. Carmilla advanced on Will and he smirked. “Hello, dear sister.” He glanced at the Sheriff’s badge gleaming on her hip. “I see you’re still trying your hardest to disappoint our mother.”

Carmilla hissed at him, and Laura restrained her. “Easy there,” she assured Carmilla, “He’s no use to us dead.” She looked at Will and stepped forward. “Will of Styria, you’re under arrest for attempted kidnapping.” She knew that he had done far more than just kidnapping, but she resisted listing all of his offenses.

Will just laughed at her. “Kidnapping? We were just talking.”

“It’s hard to talk when you have your hand over someone’s mouth,” Laura replied coolly, letting Carmilla go after she stopped struggling in her arms.

To both of their surprise, Will held his hands up. “All right, you’ve got me,” he declared. Laura was surprised at how easy he was making his arrest seem. Will turned to Carmilla and warned, “Don’t forget, sister, mother is always watching. And trust me when I say, she is not happy with you falling for one of the marks again.”

Carmilla scowled as she stepped forward, and Laura couldn’t figure out what Will meant by his last declaration. Who was the mark that he was referring to and why did her heart clench with jealousy about the idea of Carmilla falling for someone? She pushed the thoughts out of her mind as Carmilla pulled a pair of handcuffs out and grabbed Will’s wrists. Clicking the cuffs on his wrist, she grabbed him and dragged him to the station. Laura followed them back to the station and Carmilla only let go of Will once he was safely locked in one of the cells.

“Where’s mother?” Carmilla spat out, glaring at Will who was staring back at her from his cell. Laura pulled her away and Carmilla asked, “Isn’t it time for us to finally get some answers?”

Laura nodded and replied, “Yes, but we can start the interrogation tomorrow. Tonight, we celebrate.”

Carmilla looked at her like she had grown two heads. “Celebrate?”

Nodding, Laura explained, “We got our first arrest in our case. The first solid lead we’ve had. We should celebrate.” Upon seeing that Carmilla was still scowling in Will’s direction, she assured, “Don’t worry about him, he’ll still be there in the morning.”

After looking between Laura and Will, Carmilla sighed and turned towards Laura. “Alright, but we shouldn’t stay out too late.”

Laura nodded as she took Carmilla back to the saloon. She ordered drinks for both of them and paid for them, slapping down a huge pile of bills. “For the drinks and the ceiling,” Laura explained to the confused bartender.

It seemed to be a dancing night at the saloon, as the tables were pushed to the side and a band was playing music as several couples danced. Laura and Carmilla sipped their drinks as they watched the dance floor. “I haven’t danced like that in ages,” Carmilla confessed, knocking back another sip.

“I’ve never danced with a partner before,” Laura admitted, looking at Carmilla. She imagined Carmilla dancing with her on the dance floor, just the two of them. Her heart raced at the possibility and she flushed as she saw the way Carmilla was looking at her.

“Do you want to?” Carmilla asked.

Laura stuttered, trying to find an excuse not to. Her mind wasn’t able to come up with one, though deep down she knew she wanted to dance with her. A smile graced her lips as she held her hand out to Carmilla. “Only if you show me how.”

Carmilla led Laura to the dance floor. “I’ll lead,” she said, moving Laura’s hand into the proper position. “This is called a waltz,” she said. She pulled Laura closer to her, and Laura was suddenly breathless at the intimacy. “Where I come from,” Carmilla said, as she started to lead Laura, “It might as well be sex.”

Her head was spinning as she allowed Carmilla to lead her around the dance floor. She tripped over her feet quite a few times as she struggled to keep up with the steps, but Carmilla grabbed her each time to prevent her from falling.

The song ended and Carmilla looked straight into her eyes as she let go of her hands. “Thank you,” Carmilla said, “For dancing with me.”

Finally able to breathe normally, Laura smiled at Carmilla. “I’m sorry I wasn’t a better partner.”

Carmilla smiled and shook her head. “You were a perfect partner,” she said. They looked at each other for a few moments and Laura could hear her heart pounding in her chest. Carmilla leaned closer to her, eyes focused on her lips. Laura leaned forward, dreaming of the feel of Carmilla’s lips on hers. 

Before their lips could touch, Laura panicked and pulled away. “Fresh air,” she managed to get out as she panted. “I need fresh air.”

She ran out of the saloon and leaned against the alleyway, fighting to steady her breathing. Her mind flashed back to the way Carmilla looked at her as they danced and about how they had nearly kissed. There was no denying it anymore, she had a serious crush on Carmilla. She had a crush on Carmilla and she left her standing in the saloon thinking that she didn’t. “I’m such an idiot,” Laura said to herself.

Once she had steadied her breathing, she decided that she needed to take a chance. She was going to go inside, get over her nerves, and kiss Carmilla. However, before she could step back into the saloon, a hand covered her mouth and something thudded on the top of her head. She blacked out before she was able to see her attacker’s face.


	7. Chapter 7

Carmilla stood frozen in the middle of the saloon feeling like an idiot, her mind replaying the previous few moments on repeat. She was struggling to process what had just happened. One moment, her and Laura were inches away from kissing. The next, Laura had run away claiming she needed fresh air. Was it something she had said or done? How could she have misread the signs that badly? Turning back to the bar, she told the bartender, “The strongest whiskey you have please.”

The bartender poured her the drink and she downed it as she glanced at the door every couple of minutes hoping that Laura would come back soon. As she waited for Laura to return, Carmilla tried to figure out the best course of action. Should she apologize for almost kissing her or should she just forget that it ever happened? She continued to drink her liquid courage, deciding that the best course of action was to apologize.

However, as the hours went by, Laura never came back into the saloon. Carmilla sighed and paid for her drink as she made her way back to the inn. She was furious with herself for ruining things with Laura just as they were starting to grow closer. Over the past couple of weeks, she had realized that she had become infatuated with the small rookie sheriff. She had thought that maybe Laura was starting to feel the same way over the past couple days, especially after their dance. However, it appeared that Carmilla had been too hopeful and she was wrong yet again.

The next morning after an uneasy sleep, she trudged to the station. She continued to work on her apology to Laura in her head. However, Laura was nowhere to be found when she walked into the station. She asked Danny and Perry about her, but they hadn’t seen her either. Though it was unusual for Laura not to be at the station without telling anyone, Carmilla figured that she was avoiding her.

The hours ticked by and Laura still hadn’t arrived by lunchtime. Carmilla started to feel uneasy about her absence and decided to go to her apartment to talk to her. As hard as Laura appeared to be trying, they couldn’t avoid talking about the events of last night forever. Not only that, but they had a case to solve and a suspect to question.

Carmilla walked to Laura’s apartment building and went to the landlord. “Can you let me inside?” She asked. “I need to speak to Laura Hollis.”

The landlord shook her head. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Please,” Carmilla begged, “It’s urgent.”

The landlord replied, “I can’t do that, ma’am, because Laura didn’t come home last night.” Carmilla gaped at him as he explained, “I try to know everything that goes on in and around my complex. Nobody saw Miss Hollis return last night. I had assumed that she was occupied with Sheriff business.”

Carmilla’s heart nearly stopped as she processed the news. Laura hadn’t come home the previous night. If she wasn’t at home or at work without an explanation, there was only one possible place she could be.

She quickly thanked the landlord and ran faster than she had in her entire life. Her heart raced as she feared for what her mother had done or was going to Laura. She knew that her mother killed anyone involved with Sheriffs, especially the Sheriffs themselves. After Ell she worked tirelessly to stop her mother’s operation, and she asked to be transferred to Silas once she had figured out that she had moved her operation there. She knew that her mother liked to target people close to her in the Sheriff’s department, which is why she was so worried for Laura’s safety. She hated herself for failing to protect Laura.

As she reached the station, she ran past everyone and refused to give an explanation. She made his way to Will’s cell, and he looked up at her. There was a smirk on his face as he saw the panicked expression on her face. “I warned you, sister.”

Carmilla opened the cell door and grabbed Will. Filled with rage, she slammed him against the wall. “Where is mother?”

Will laughed at her. “You’re not going to get me to talk that easily, Carmilla.”

She felt hands pull her off of Will and she turned around to glare at Danny. “She has Laura,” Carmilla told her.

Danny’s eyes lit up with concern and fury. She grabbed Will and shook him. “Where is she?”

“Don’t worry,” Will said, “She has a couple of days left.”

Carmilla’s heart pounded in fear. She had to find Laura quickly, or else it was too late.

Before they could question him further, Perry called for them. Making sure Will was securely locked in his cell, they went to her office. “It’s the Mayor,” Perry informed them, “He was murdered.”

“We don’t have time for that,” Carmilla said, “Laura is in danger.”

Perry explained, “Make time.” Carmilla and Danny gaped at her. “What is so unusual is that LaFontaine was able to figure out that the mayor had been dead for two months before he was found.”

Carmilla became frustrated, wondering what the point of this was. She went over the details of the case and realized the connection. “The girls of Silas started going missing two months ago.”

Perry handed them a drawing of a gorgeous woman and Carmilla turned pale as she recognized her mother. “Do either of you know this woman?”

Carmilla nodded. “That’s my mother.” She and Danny shared worried looks. “Where is she?”

“She’s been put in as acting Mayor, she claims that she can put a stop to the kidnapping of the girls once and for all and bring back the ones that are already missing. She keeps pointing out that the Sheriff’s department has failed to do their job.”

Carmilla looked at the photo of the woman who had haunted her for years. “It’s her,” Carmilla said, “She’s the one involved.”

Perry gave her a questioning look. “How do you know that, Sheriff.”

She froze, not knowing how to answer. Suddenly, Danny spoke up, “The prisoner confessed to it during our questioning of him.” Carmilla looked gratefully at Danny. She realized that Will had all but admitted it with his non-denial and his mention that Laura would not live much longer. She just hoped that it was enough evidence to lock her mother away for good.

Trying her hardest to remain calm, Carmilla told Perry, “We’ll arrest her and get Laura back, I promise.”

As they left the office. Danny pulled out her pistol and marched towards the door. Carmilla grabbed her and stopped her from leaving. “You can’t just walk in there,” Carmilla warned her, “We need to have a plan.”

Danny looked at Carmilla’s worried expression. “You really care about her, don’t you?”

Carmilla nodded and said, “I do.” She grabbed her own pistol and said, “I need to get her back alone.”

“I’m not letting you go alone,” Danny replied, “Laura is my friend and I want to get her back too. If your mother is as dangerous as you say, you’re going to need all the help you can get.”

Carmilla sighed, knowing that there was no way she could convince Danny to stay behind. She held out her hand and asked, “Truce?”

Danny nodded and took her hand. After they shook on it, Carmilla and Danny worked on a plan to rescue Laura. As they worked out the plan, Carmilla realized that Danny was right. In order to save Laura and the other missing girls, they needed to work together. Closing her eyes, Carmilla hoped that they weren’t too late as they made their way to the Mayor’s mansion.


	8. Chapter 8

Laura stirred awake, grimacing in pain as she massaged the small bump on her head. She took in her surroundings and sat up as she realized that she was locked in a cage somewhere. Unable to recognize where she was, she tried to piece together what had happened to her. She remembered dancing with Carmilla at the saloon and how she had run away as they nearly kissed. She realized that Carmilla was probably heartbroken, thinking that Laura had just left her in the saloon like that. She had no idea how long she had been gone for and she struggled to remember who she had gotten wherever she was.

Her eyes widened as she remembered the hand over her mouth and being knocked over the head. She hadn’t been able to see her attacker, but she assumed that whoever it was had brought her here. Looking around, she saw cages with other girls and she realized with horror that she had been taken and placed with all of the other missing girls. Looking at the cage next to her, she cleared her throat. Betty Spielsdorf turned to her, and Laura was relieved that she and the other girls were alive and appeared to be unharmed.

Betty looked annoyed that Laura was attempting to talk to her. She placed a finger to her mouth to silence her. Ignoring the gesture, Laura asked, “Are you okay, Betty? Who kidnapped us?”

“Quiet,” Betty whispered glancing at the door in fear. “She’ll hear you.”

Laura looked for any other clues of where she was and who was behind all of this. Her eyes focused on a large painting of the Mayor on the wall at the end of the room. She had only met the mayor once when she was named Sheriff. He had seemed like a nice guy, but how could he be if he was the one kidnapping all of these girls.

The door opened and a gorgeous woman she had never seen before strode in with a younger black woman. She saw Laura looking at her and smiled a sickening smile. “Our fearless Sheriff is awake,” she said. Approaching Laura’s cell, she said, “You should have heeded my warning, Hollis.”

Taking in the appearance of the woman, Laura said, “You’re Carmilla’s mother, aren’t you.”

The woman nodded. “I see your lover told you all about me.” Laura blushed at the implication, wishing that it was true. “However, it won’t do you any good. By the time Carmilla finds me, you’ll be disposed of and I will be officially made Mayor of Silas.”

“Why are you doing this?” Laura asked. “These girls did nothing wrong!”

Carmilla’s mother laughed and leaned into the bars of the cage. “Do you know what the strongest motivator of mankind is?” She didn’t wait for Laura to answer. “It’s fear.” If I was going to gain power in Silas, I would have to prey on the fear of its citizens.”

“You kidnapped the girls to create a crisis so that the town would elect you mayor,” Laura said, beginning to understand the plan.

The woman smiled. “You are very clever. I can see what Perry sees in you. Sheriff Karnstein was unable to prove that I was behind the kidnappings back in Styria. Once I brought the girls back safely, the ones I hadn’t already killed, the town was so overjoyed with my progress that they made me Mayor.” 

Laura clenched her fists, shouting, “You won’t get away with this!” 

Carmilla’s mother just laughed, “I already have. The only people who know the truth are my loyal children and you. Unfortunately, you won’t live to tell anyone else the truth.” She laughed and Laura backed away in horror. “Once you’re disposed of, I can continue with my plan and soon I will conquer the rest of the West.” She unlocked the cage and turned to her daughter. “Take care of her.”

The black woman walked into her cell and grabbed her. Laura struggled as she was dragged out of the cell. “Stop fighting,” the woman hissed, “Or I’ll knock you out again.”

Laura stopped fighting, realizing that there was no escaping her fate. She allowed herself to be dragged out behind the Mayor’s mansion. The woman grabbed Laura’s pistol and pointed it at her.

Her life flashed before her eyes as she thought of her father Perry, LaFontaine, Danny, and Carmilla. She would miss them so much, and hoped they would miss her too. She hoped that they would be safe after she was gone and that Carmilla would be able to expose her mother’s plan without her help. Closing her eyes, she braced herself for death as the gun fired.

To her shock, the bullet never hit her. Her ears were ringing, but she was otherwise unharmed. Opening her eyes, she saw that the woman had shot at the ground next to her. “Run,” the woman said to her. “Run back to Carmilla and get out of Silas.”

Laura gaped at her, unable to understand her motivations. “You’re helping me?”

The woman nodded. “I am loyal to my mother, but I’m also loyal to my sister. Though I don’t understand her affections towards you, I care about her happiness.” She sighed and said, “Ell’s death nearly destroyed her and I can’t let that happen again.”

Though she was still stunned by the turn of events, she said, “Thank you.” She tried to remember if Carmilla had ever mentioned her sister’s name, but no name came to mind.

As though the woman could read her mind, she said, “Mattie. My name is Mattie.”

“Thank you, Mattie,” said Laura. She stood up, still shaken by the day’s events.

Mattie gestured towards the woods. “Get out of Silas and take Carmilla with you. I’ll have no choice but to kill you if I ever see you back here again.”

Laura nodded and ran towards the woods. As soon as she was far enough away from the mansion, she turned and ran back to Silas. Though the thought of running away tempted her, she couldn’t abandon Silas or her friends. She had to tell them what she had learned so that she could bring the prospective Mayor to justice and save Silas.

Upon reaching the station, she found that Carmilla and Danny were not there. LaFontaine saw her and walked over to her. “They went looking for you,” LaFontaine said, “They think the new mayor is behind everything.”

Laura didn’t answer and ran past LaFontaine. She grabbed another pistol and holstered it before running back out of the station. She ran to the mayor’s mansion like her life depended on it, hoping to help her friends before it was too late.


	9. Chapter 9

Carmilla gripped the pistol in her shaking hand as she advanced on the mayor’s mansion. As they reached the front door, Danny went in a separate direction, as she looked for another entrance to the mansion. Carmilla found that the front door was locked, but didn’t even bother to try and knock. Gathering her strength, she kicked the door open and marched straight to the mayor’s office.

She found her mother resting comfortably at the mayor’s desk, barely flinching when Carmilla burst in. “Carmilla,” she said with a wicked smile. “It’s so nice to see you after all of this time.”

“Enough with the small talk, Mother,” Carmilla hissed, “Where is Laura?”

Her mother put on a fake look of surprise. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, sweetie.”

Running out of the little patience she had, Carmilla pulled out her pistol and aimed it at her mother. “You may be able to fool the rest of Silas, but you can’t fool me.”

Sighing her mother said, “You’re right, I can’t seem to fool you. Unfortunately, you’re too late to save your lover. I had Mattie take care of her.”

“You’re lying,” Carmilla said, her voice quivering in fear that her mother was actually telling the truth.

Her mother smiled and called out, “Matska, come up to my office.” Mattie appeared a couple moments later and her eyes widened in surprise when she locked eyes with Carmilla. “Did you take care of the Sheriff like I asked you to.”

Mattie gave a strange expression towards Carmilla before turning to her mother and confirming, “It’s done, mother.” 

Carmilla’s eyes pricked with tears and she dropped the gun in her hands. She fell to the ground as she came to the realization that Laura was dead. Laura was dead and she was never coming back. Her heartbreak fueled her rage as she stood up, grabbing her weapon. Though her hands were shaking, she pointed the gun at her mother. “I won’t let you get away with this mother, Carmilla,” said as tears rolled down her face. “Not again.”

Her mother didn’t seem to be intimidated by the gun or her threats and simply smiled. “You wouldn’t kill your own mother, would you? Did you forget how I raised you when your own parents abandoned you like garbage?”

“As grateful as I am for you giving me a home,” Carmilla said, struggling to steady her aim. “You have done more harm to me than good.”

Her mother stood up and stepped right in front of Carmilla, putting herself right in front of the gun. “Let’s see if you can pull the trigger.”

Carmilla’s hands shook as her fingers rested on the trigger. She hesitated for a brief moment, before closing her eyes. All she could think about was Laura’s death. Her mother need to pay for that. For Ell. For all of the people she killed and kidnapped. She straightened up, her resolve preparing her what she needed to do. As she was about to pull the trigger, she stilled as she heard Laura’s voice call out behind her. “Carmilla!”

Unable to believe what she was hearing, Carmilla turned around and saw that Laura was indeed standing in front of her. She looked slightly shaken, but still beautiful. She held her own pistol in her hand as she took in the sight in front of her. “I thought you were dead,” Carmilla said. She knew that her mother and Mattie were watching the exchange, but Carmilla only had eyes for Laura.

“I thought you were too,” her mother said, glaring at Mattie. To her surprise, Mattie shrugged and said, “She got away.” From the way that Mattie was looking at her, it seemed that there was more to the story than Mattie was willing to tell.

Suddenly, her mother grabbed the pistol out of her hand, pulled her towards her, and put the pistol to her head. “Leave now,” she said to Laura, “Or the woman you love dies.”

Carmilla head was spinning at the gun at her head, even more so at her mother’s claims that Laura loved her. How could that be possible when Laura had run away when they almost kissed? She locked eyes with Laura and she saw the way that she looked at her and saw that she looked at her the same way she had when they had danced in the saloon.

She wriggled against her mother’s grip, determined to free herself and help Laura bring her mother to justice. Laura saw her struggle and shot her mother in the arm. She dropped Carmilla’s gun and clutched her arm. Carmilla dove for the gun, and grasped it. Running over to join Laura they pointed their guns at her mother.

“Mayor,” Laura said, “you are under arrest for multiple counts of kidnapping, murder, attempted murder and probably a bunch of other crimes as well.” Her mother lunged at them, and Carmilla shot her straight in the heart.

She watched as her mother bled out on the floor looking at her daughter with a look of betrayal. Carmilla dropped the gun as she watched the only mother she remembered with a feeling of numbness. Laura put a comforting hand on her back, and Carmilla felt much calmer at the feel of her touch.

Carmilla locked eyes with Mattie, who looked between her mother and the two of them. “I’m sorry,” she apologized to Mattie.

Mattie looked angry at them, but then seemed to accept what happened. “Take care, sister.”   
“You’re leaving?” Carmilla asked.

Mattie nodded. “There’s no chance I’m staying in this hell town.” She looked at Laura and said, “Be good to her. Don’t give me a reason to regret sparing your miserable life.” Carmilla gave Mattie a shocked but grateful look.

Laura’s eyes widened. “I will,” she promised. Mattie left them in the room as Carmilla stared at her mother’s body.

They shared a look as they stood together. Before either of them could speak, Danny ran into the room and looked between them and the body on the floor. “Laura! Carmilla! Are you alright?”

Laura assured her that she was fine. Carmilla nodded, wiping tears from her eyes. She said, “I’m fine. Or I will be. Did you find anything?”

Danny smiled and nodded. “I found them. The missing girls.” She led them to a room with several cages. With Carmilla and Laura’s help, Danny unlocked all of the cages. The girls were incredibly relieved as they were released and thanked the three sheriffs for their rescue.

Together, the group marched to town square. A crowd had gathered and the missing girls embraced their loved ones. “Thank you, Sheriff,” the woman from the saloon approached Laura. “Thank you for keeping your promise.”

Laura smiled as the woman hugged her daughter. “It was a team effort.” Her eyes locked with Carmilla’s and Carmilla asked to speak to her privately. Laura grinned and walked with her back to the station. They had a lot to talk about and Carmilla hoped that she would like how this conversation would go.


	10. Chapter 10

When they reached the inside of the station, Laura didn’t allow Carmilla to speak before starting to kiss her. Carmilla’s eyes widened in surprise as she let Laura kiss her, too stunned to move. Laura pulled away looking disappointed, wondering if she misread the signs. “I’m sorry,” she said, “I thought…”

Spurred into action, Carmilla leaned forward and kissed Laura deeply. Laura was surprised but eagerly kissed back. Her hands threaded through Carmilla’s flowing hair as she deepened the kiss while Carmilla’s hands wrapped around her pulling her closer. Laura didn’t know what she expected, but kissing Carmilla was even better in reality than how she had imagined it.

When they finally pulled away from each other, Carmilla asked, “Why did you run away last time?”

“I panicked,” Laura confessed, “I wanted to kiss you too.” She shuddered as she thought about the events that occurred after she had run away. “I was going to go back inside, but I wasn’t able to. I didn’t think I’d ever get a chance to again.”

Carmilla nodded in agreement. “I was terrified,” she said. Her lips curled into a smile. “You don’t know how relieved I am to see that you’re okay.”

Before they could kiss again, the door to the station opened and Kirsch walked in. Carmilla frowned at the intrusion. “Kirsch,” Laura said, surprised to see him. “Can we help you with something?”

Kirsch shuffled nervously. “I was wondering how I can become a sheriff.” Laura was surprised by the question and Kirsch said, “Thanks to you, I decided that I don’t want to be an outlaw anymore. I enjoyed helping to save those girls and that tall sheriff sure is pretty.”

“You can’t just walk in and become a sheriff,” Carmilla said, “You have to earn it.” 

Laura put a calming hand on Carmilla’s back and said, “What Carmilla means is that it’s going to take a lot of work. If you’re up to it, we could use someone with your knowledge of the outlaws.”

Kirsch considered it for a couple minutes. His face broke out into a dopey grin. “I can do it.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” Laura said. She glanced back at Carmilla before turning back to him and saying, “We should head back to the celebration. We could all use some fun after what we’ve been through.”

Carmilla scowled and Laura leaned into her. “We’ll finish our conversation at my apartment after the party,” she whispered, her face flushing at the suggestive nature of it.

“Fine,” Carmilla said, despite still looking disappointed. The three of them made their way to the town square where everybody was well into the celebration. 

Kirsch immediately started flirting with some girls, clearly in his party element. Carmilla’s hand found Laura’s and Laura took it, smiling brightly as many of the townspeople raised their drinks to them. Danny made their way over to them, frowning slightly as she noticed their interlocked hands. “There you are,” she said, grinning. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

Danny ushered them to the front of the crowd and Perry smiled at them. “Thank you everyone for gathering here tonight,” Perry said addressing the crowd. “I am pleased to announce that the issue of the vanishing girls is no more, thanks to the hard work of our Sheriff’s station.” There were several cheers in response from the crowd. “So many people worked tirelessly on the case, but there a couple of people that deserve recognition.” She gestured to them. “Laura, Carmilla, Danny, can you come here please?”

The three of them walked towards her and Perry turned to the crowd. “Thank you so much, Sheriffs Lawrence, Hollis, and Karnstein on their efforts and daring rescue.” The crowd cheered and Laura smiled out at them. She was thrilled that she was finally getting the respect and recognition that she had always wanted.

She nearly gasped when she saw her father standing in the crowd. As the crowd took their focus off of them, Laura walked towards her father. Her father smiled and embraced her. “I didn’t know you were in town,” Laura said.

“Just passing through,” replied her father, “I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to see my favorite daughter.”

Laura laughed. “I’m your only daughter.”

Her father smiled. “I’m proud of you Laura. Though I’m not happy about you risking your life, I’m glad that you’re happy and doing well.”

“Thank you,” Laura said. She noticed Carmilla standing by watching them and she gestured her over. “Father, this is Sheriff Carmilla Karnstein.”

Carmilla forced a smile on her face and said, “It’s nice to meet you, sir.”

Her father shook Carmilla’s hand and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.” They talked for a couple of moments before her father excused himself, telling them that he planned to leave town early next morning. Laura hugged her father as they parted ways.

Danny approached them soon after. “Can I speak to Carmilla for a moment?” Laura nodded and walked away. She took the opportunity to talk to Perry about Kirsch’s request and Perry agreed to let her train him as her deputy.

Carmilla came after her after she finished talking to Danny. “What did Danny want?” She asked as she reached for her hand.

“She wanted to warn me that she would kill me if I hurt you,” Carmilla said. Laura was kind of touched by Danny’s protectiveness of her. “I told her that I had no intention of doing so.”

Laura smiled and whispered, “Do you want to get out of here?”

Carmilla nodded with a smirk. “I thought you’d never ask.” 

They walked back to Laura’s apartment and made their way inside. Laura deadbolted the door before leaning in to kiss Carmilla. They continued to kiss as Laura led them to her bedroom. Carmilla tripped and they landed on Laura’s bed. They laughed and continued to kiss each other.

After a couple of moments, Laura stopped. Carmilla looked at her with concern. “Are you okay?”

Laura just said. “I’m going to miss you.” It had occurred to her that Carmilla would most likely go back to Styria now that the case had been solved. It was ironic that she had spent so much time wishing that Carmilla would go, but now she didn’t want her to leave.

Carmilla just smiled and said, “I’m not going anywhere, creampuff.” Laura gaped at her and Carmilla said, “I asked for a transfer to Silas full-time. I like working with you and I want to be your partner. In more ways than one”

“But won’t you miss your home in Styria?” Laura asked both surprised and touched by the declaration.

Carmilla just smiled and said, “Silas had felt more like home these past few weeks than Styria ever did.”

Laura kissed her and straddled her. She started to unbutton Carmilla’s shirt and Carmilla helped her. She flipped their positions as their evening, and their partnership, was only beginning.


End file.
